The Constant Nymph by Margaret Kennedy

Chapter 2

Lewis found the journey up to Weissau better than he had expected. His companion was indeed horribly talkative, making intelligent comments upon the grandeur of the scenery all the way, but in the choice of his topics he showed a certain respect for Mr. Dodd's nervous sensibility. They agreed that the chestnut and oak of the valley had now given way to pine woods, and discussed the names of some of the peaks towering above them. As the little train panted its way into the Alpine pastures, Lewis was even so affable as to point out several waterfalls to his companion.

After a stiff ascent the line ended by a lake and they found little steamer waiting for them. Mr. Trigorin said that the expanse of water lent an agreeable perspective to the mountains sing sharply on the other side. Mr. Dodd said that it was so, and that when they got across they would find the same thing be true of the mountains on this side. Mr. Trigorin said supposed so, and became a little silent and unhappy. They rossed the lake without further conversation. When they had almost reached the hamlet of Weissau, Lewis claimed suddenly: "There they are, some of them !"

"Please?" said Trigorin anxiously. "Two of Sanger's children. On the landing-stage." He pointed to the little group of peasants waiting for the Two young girls, standing rather apart from the crowd, id already recognised him and were waving vehemently. As soon as he got off the boat they flung themselves upon his neck, kissing him with eager delight.

"Oh, Lewis!" exclaimed the smaller. "We never expected to see you at all. Only some one is probably coming by this boat so we thought we'd come in and buy some sweets and get a ride back." "Yes," said the other. "Sanger got a letter to say this person was coming. And you should hear how he goes on about it. He says he never . . ." "I expect it was Trigorin," interrupted Lewis.

"O-oh, yes! That was the name Sanger said, wasn't it Lina?"

"Well then, this is your man. Mr. Trigorin. Miss Teresa Sanger; Miss Paulina Sanger." Trigorin put down his suitcases and bowed low, beginning:

"I am most delighted..." But Teresa cut him short. "Lewis! Have you got... you know what?"

"What? Oh, I know. Yes. I have it in my knapsack."

"That's all right. We'd have lynched you if you'd forgotten. But you've been the hell of a time fetching it. We've only got three days; his birthday's on Thursday. And he won't like it unless it's properly done." "Three days will do if we work hard," Lewis assured her.

"Look! Have you ordered a cart or anything? Because, if not, one of you must leg it up to the hotel and ask for one." "Oh, we've got it. It's just behind the shop. 's got a pig in it that Kate told us to bring up. It's quite a quiet pig. It's dead."

Teresa looked at her sister and they both giggled. "Can he eat bacon?" whispered Paulina in an audible aside, with a glance at Trigorin, who was waiting patiently beside his suitcases until somebody should take notice of him. "He looks a little like a Jew. We had an awful time once when Ikey Mo's uncle was staying with us and we had nothing in the house..."

"If he can't eat bacon, there'll be nothing else for him to eat," said Teresa. She turned to Trigorin and enquired baldly: "Are you a Jew?" No," he said, a little stiffly. "I am from Russia."

"Well, there are Jews in Russia, aren't there?" she argued. "They are not as 1," Trigorin told her.

"Really?" she said derisively. "We've all got something to be thankful for, haven't we? You have got a lot of luggage.

I hope there'll be room for us all in the cart as well as the pig." "It's a very heavy pig," supplemented Paulina, exploding again into suppressed laughter. "Tessa and I had to drag it all the way from the slaughter-house."